A Rare Allen & Wheelock Centre Hammer. 44 Army Lipfire Revolver. 13 ½” overall, 7 ½” round to octagonal barrel engraved to left hand side ‘Allen & Wheelock, Worcester, Mass. US. Allen’s Pat’s Sep 7. Nov. 9. 1858’. Six shot cylinder now converted to rimfire, bottom hinged loading gate to right hand side, numbered ‘110’. Large spur hammer, trigger guard, hinges down to operate ejector. 2 piece flared walnut grip.
Circa 1861.
Very rare, only about 250 examples made.
In good condition.
Ethan Allen was granted a patent in September 1861 for his .44 caliber lipfire revolver. As this is more than a year since his patent on the lipfire cartridge, it is possible that lipfire revolvers were produced in late1860 or early 1861. As many incomplete revolvers and parts would have been in existence at the time of the 'cease and desist' court order from the patent infringement in 1863, an inventory was kept and these revolvers were reintroduced when the White patent expired in 1869 until the parts stocks were depleted. All of the Allen and Wheelock lipfire revolvers were single-action. Many of the lipfire weapons were converted to rimfire with the simple machining/removal of just a small amount on the rear face of the cylinder as supplies of the ill-fated lipfire cartridge dwindled. While it is not known for certain, some of these conversions may have occurred at the factory, especially for those assembled in or after 1869. Others were converted by any number of gunsmiths around the country. It should be noted that the Army model was the first 'large bore' (more than .40 caliber) cartridge revolver, and remained so until the Remington cartridge conversions of the model 1858 appeared in 1868—soon followed by the cartridge-designed Smith & Wesson Model 3 in 1869